Ten years ago today, Roger Goodell went from being “guy whose name most people weren’t quite sure how to pronounce” to NFL Commissioner. Ten years from now, where will he be?
There’s a belief among those who employ Goodell that he’ll stay through at least the next labor contract and TV rights negotiations. The Collective Bargaining Agreement expires before the 2021 season; the current broadcast deals run through 2022.
The thinking is that he’ll hope to get strong deals on both fronts, with those two contracts becoming the closing argument for his legacy -- a legacy that he surely hopes will include serious consideration for a bronze bust in Canton.
The current rough estimate is that Goodell will serve for another five to seven years, putting his retirement age between 62 and 64. His predecessor, Paul Tagliabue, retired at 65. Pete Rozelle held the job for 30 years, retiring at the age of 73.
Whenever Goodell goes, plenty of his foes will rejoice. And then they’ll quickly begin complaining about his replacement, whoever that may be.
